SIU CIVMARS aboard the U.S. Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T AOE 8) helped rescue seven United Arab Emirates mariners adrift in a raft for two days in the central Arabian Gulf. The rescue took place Dec. 23.While conducting replenishment at sea with the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), the Arctic received a bridge-to-bridge radio call from the British-flagged cargo vessel MV British Courage requesting assistance rescuing the stranded mariners, who were floating approximately three miles ahead of the Truman.
The ships performed an emergency breakaway, and the Arctic dispatched two MH-60S helicopters to the scene. The Arctic put one rescue swimmer in the water who recovered the four Pakistanis and three Indian mariners. The helicopter crews took the mariners to the Truman for medical treatment, food and water. All were in good condition.
The mariners had been transporting cargo from Dubai when their boat sailed into rough seas and broke its keel. When the vessel started taking on too much water to remain afloat, the mariners abandoned ship into a life raft where they remained for two days before the rescue.
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